New Year's celebrations

December 31, 2012 |Chron.com staff

In Houston and across the globe, people welcome 2013

SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images

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Fireworks are launched from the Taipei 101 building to mark the new year in Taipei on January 1, 2013. In line with the countdown will be a 188-second firework show to be presented by the Taipei 101, a 509-metre-high skyscraper and once the world's tallest building which is just hundreds of metres away from the city hall square. AFP PHOTO / Sam YehSAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images

Fireworks are launched from the Taipei 101 building to mark the new year in Taipei on January 1, 2013. In line with the countdown will be a 188-second firework show to be presented by the Taipei 101, a 509-metre-high skyscraper and once the world's tallest building which is just hundreds of metres away from the city hall square. AFP PHOTO / Sam YehSAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images